President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, has been accused of assault by singer Joy Villa.
According to Joy Villa, Corey Lewandowski hit her twice on the backside during an event in Washington last month.
The singer told media she spoke to the police on Christmas Eve, having been persuaded to launch a formal complaint by friends.
Corey Lewandowski has not responded to media’s requests for comment.
The accusations are the latest in a long line of harassment and assault claims linked to celebrities, politicians and companies, which have gathered pace in the past year, particularly following the downfall of film producer Harvey Weinstein.
According to Associated Press, Joy Villa said: “I was initially fearful to come forward with this.”
She said she did not want to embarrass Corey Lewandowski’s family or hers.
Joy Villa, who is a vocal Trump supporter and wore a “Make America Great Again” dress to the 2017 Grammy Awards, was at a gathering at Trump International Hotel when she posed for a photograph with Corey Lewandowski, whom, she says, she had never met before.
The singer alleges Corey Lewandowski hit her once on the buttocks, and when she asked him to stop and joked about reporting him for harassment, he did it again. She said he laughed, adding: “I work in the private sector.”
Joy Villa said the hard slaps felt “disgusting and shocking and demeaning”.
Politico first reported on the incident last week, saying they had talked to a witness who spoke out before Joy Villa did.
Joy Villa has previously said she is considering running for Congress – and President Donald Trump has tweeted his support.
Donald Trump fired Corey Lewandowski as campaign manager in June 2016.
Earlier last year, Corey Lewandowski was charged with battery after allegedly yanking a female reporter out of Donald Trump’s way after a campaign event. The charges were later dropped.
Donald Trump’s campaign manager Corey Lewandowski is to leave his job.
A campaign spokeswoman said Corey Lewandowski would no longer be working on it and said the team was grateful to him “for his hard work and dedication”.
The exact reason for Corey Lewandowski’s departure is not yet clear but sources close to Donald Trump have told media he was fired.
Corey Lewandowski oversaw Donald Trump’s unlikely triumph in the primary contests.
His departure comes as Donald Trump faces strong resistance from senior members of his own party over his strident tone and his hard-line immigration policy.
Among Donald Trump’s critics is Speaker of the House and top-ranked Republican Paul Ryan, who appeared to leave the door open to a possible revolt at next month’s convention.
When asked on June 19 about reports that party delegates may rebel against voting for Donald Trump at the convention, he said: “They write the rules, they make the decisions.”
Donald Trump was criticized for his reaction to the Orlando nightclub shooting in which 49 people were killed.
Following the attack, Donald Trump repeated his pledge that the US should ban Muslims from entering the country.
Republicans also started to distance themselves from Donald Trump following his personal attacks against a Hispanic federal judge overseeing two lawsuits against him.
Donald Trump is likely to face Democrat Hillary Clinton in November’s election, and there were reports over the weekend that her campaign is way ahead in spending in the key swing states.
Corey Lewandowski has had a contentious relationship with the press. Earlier this year, he was charged with battery after allegedly yanking a female reporter out of Donald Trump’s way after a campaign event.
Donald Trump defended him throughout that incident, which concluded when the charges were dropped.
Following the news, one Trump campaign director, Michael Caputo, tweeted: “Ding dong the witch is dead.”
Corey Lewandowski did not get along with Donald Trump’s chief strategist Paul Manafort either, with sources telling the New York Times that he would try to block Manafort from hiring more campaign staff.
Donald Trump is suffering in political polls lately, with most voters viewing him as “strongly unfavorable”.
One of Donald Trump’s campaign staff member told NBC News that the campaign was not briefed on Corey Lewandowski’s firing and that right now there is “bedlam in the Trump campaign. No one knows what is happening”.
Corey Lewandowski, Donald Trump’s campaign manager, has been charged with assaulting a journalist at a campaign event.
He is charged with simple battery for his encounter with former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields on March 8.
Corey Lewandowski allegedly yanked Michelle Fields to the ground when she tried to ask a question and bruised her arm.
Police in Jupiter, Florida, where he was arrested, have released new footage of the alleged assault.
Corey Lewandowski plans to plead not guilty, the Trump campaign said in a statement.
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